


Dignity

by Hekate1308



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, M/M, butler!castiel, housekeeper!Dean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-19
Updated: 2017-10-19
Packaged: 2019-01-19 14:38:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12412230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hekate1308/pseuds/Hekate1308
Summary: Due to the rather unfortunate, if objectively joyful, case of both the housekeeper and the under-butler of Krikpe Hall deciding to get married and quite the profession, butler Castiel Novak had been looking for a replacement for both for a while. Not anyone would fit; he had standards that needed to be met, that deserved to be met, and he would not budge. Destiel AU, Butler!Cas, Housekeeper!Dean





	Dignity

Due to the rather unfortunate, if objectively joyful, case of both the housekeeper and the under-butler of Krikpe Hall deciding to get married and quite the profession, butler Castiel Novak had been looking for a replacement for both for a while. Not anyone would fit; he had standards that needed to be met, that deserved to be met, and he would not budge.

Even if Lady Naomi was growing rather annoyed. Castiel knew it was important for his employer’s status in society that her house be run smoothly, and that would only happen if he found two excellent servants.

Fergus Crowley eventually presented himself on their doorstep. True, he could be rather rude and egotistical, bnut he soon turned out to be the best under-butler Castiel had ever worked with. Lady Naomi certainly was content with the work he was doing, and any rumours to a developing closer connection between milady and Crowley were refuted by Castiel. There was no reason to drag their employer’s name in the mud for a few cheap laughs in the kitchen when the servants should be working.

It took a little bit longer to find a good housekeeper. When Dean Winchester’s letter reached him, he was sceptical at first; the man appeared to be a little too young to be as experienced a servant as Kripke Hall needed; but his references were excellent, and lady Naomi was growing impatient with Castiel. So he decided to take the chance.

He came to thoroughly regret it over the course of the first few weeks.

Not because Dean Winchester was a bad housekeeper; ion the contrary, he clearly knew what he was doing, and the staff liked him; even Lady Naomi had nothing to say against him; but he was missing the _dignity_ Castiel had always felt any self-respecting servant should show art all times.

Instead, Dean Winchester plays his loud music while he’s going over the bills in his pantry – the parlour he already decorated with posters and pictures, much to Castiel’s horror – laughs way too much and loves driving across the country in the black car he arrived in.

Lady Naomi sees no problem with this behaviour. If anything, she seems to like it that her housekeeper is “an original” she can brag about. But sadly, Castiel was left to pick up the pieces – chastise servants who were too busy laughing at his antics to do their job, check the bills to ensure the music had not made Dean count wrong.

Dean Winchester, of course, laughed it all off when he tried to give him a few hints.

“Come on Cas, you need to loosen up a bit.”

“I assure you, Mr. Winchester, I am quite as loose as I need to be” he replied, once more utterly exasperated that the housekeeper refused to call him Mr. Novak as he should have.

Dean laughed. “You’re a down-right comedian.”

“If you say so. Now, Mr. Winchester, concerning the visit from Lady Naomi’s nephews in a week – “

“I got everything under control. You don’t have to worry your pretty head.”

And Dean winked at him, leaving him there in the corridor.

That was another habit of his Castiel was not find of. He flirted with everyone and that was hardly ensuring the smooth running of the house.

And then there were his attempts to change Castiel’s routine. He prided himself on being a good butler, like his father gad even; and maybe one day, he would find the necessary dignity within him to become a great butler. As such, he couldn’t be distracted.

Which was why Dean strolling into his pantry one night as he was going over the staffing list was unwelcome, no matter how strangely pleased he felt at the sight of him.

“Hey, Cas. Brought you flowers.”

“I can see that, but why?”

Dean rolled his eyes. “Have you seen this place? It’s so cheerless, man. You need some colour in your life.”

Colour. Green, for example. Like Dean’s eyes, Dean’s vibrant, sparkling eyes –

He swallowed. “I assure you, Mr. Winchester, my pantry serves its purpose – “

“Come on. The gardener had to cut these anyway, and we both know Lady Naomi doesn’t care for petunias. She’d approve.”

But then, lady Naomi approved of a few things that Castiel, despite his loyalty, couldn’t help but think were beneath her. Like the bantering between her and Crowley, and her and Dean.

“Mr. Winchester, you seem to be so fond of them, I am surprised you don’t take them for yourself.”

“I have plenty of flowers and other stuff to make my rooms look a little less like a dark haunted castle” he answered lightly, simply putting down the flowers on a desk near Castiel. “There. Looks much nicer already. I’ll leave you to your work, although I have no idea how you still find stuff to do.”

He sounded strangely bitter, and Castiel looked up from his papers to find Dean with a sad expression on his face.

Before he could stop himself, he’d said, “Thank you very much for the flowers.”

Anything, anything to get that look of his face –

He turned away before other irrational thoughts could intrude.

Another time, Lady Naomi was away from home and Dean came into his pantry again, all but bouncing up and down. “I’ll take the Impala for a ride. Care to come with?”

“I hardly think it would be appropriate to have both the housekeeper and the butler away from home.”

Dean rolled his eyes. “Cas, come on. You can’t spend your life here. You’ve left this house... what, three times since I came here?”

It had actually only been two times – some purchases had to be made he couldn’t trust anyone else with – but Castiel didn’t correct him.

“You can’t just spend your life here, in the dark. You can’t live for a house, Cas.”

“Why not? Serving the Tapping family is as good a reason to live as anything else, wouldn’t you say?”

Dena studied him. “No” he finally said. “No. Not at all.”

And with that, he left.

Castiel didn’t understand what had just happened; all he knew was that after that, suddenly Dean Winchester became everything he’d ever wished for in a housekeeper, at least regarding to how he treated Castiel himself, and he couldn’t stand it.

Dean Winchester greeted him politely using his last name. Dean Winchester never entered his pantry without announcing his intention well beforehand. Dean Winchester never laughed or smiled in his presence anymore.

Castiel hadn’t realized how much their talks meant to him until he was suddenly deprived of them.

In his confusion, he actually found one day that he hadn’t polished a silver fork properly, and he was standing in the kitchen cleaning it furiously when Crowley cleared his throat behind him. “Oh dear, is there trouble in Paradise? You’ve been moping for weeks now, and Dean’s just as bad, even though he tries to hide it. And now this? When are you going to make up with lover boy?”

“There is nothing to “make up”” he replied carefully, his voice not as smooth as he wished. “Me and Mr. Winchester have a very professionally satisfying relationship.”

“Any chance you’ll stop sounding like a damn dictionary any day soon?” Crowley asked lightly. “And come on, do you really think we can’t all see it?”

“There is nothing to see, so I fail to understand the significance of your question.”

Crowley shook his head. “Hopeless. I will never understand why dean’s hung up on you.”

Castiel finally raised his head to look at him, but the under butler had already turned around. His heart wa beating wildly, and he’d forgotten all about the fork in his hands.

What did it mean that Dean was hung up on him? Was it supposed to mean anything? And if it did, did he want to? Should he – should he do what? Talk to him about it? But that would have been terribly unprofessional. They had just found a good balance to work with, and –

But did he enjoy it, he suddenly wondered. Did he like it when Den only ever spoke of professional matters? When those beautiful eyes only ever looked his way by accident when they didn’t have to talk about the matters of the day?

The answer was no. But he shouldn’t have cared. He knew it.

He swallowed.

It didn’t matter anyway; Dean had made quite clear that they were simply a butler and a housekeeper who had to work together, and that was all.

This went on for weeks until he accidentally stumbled upon Dean in the library.

“Mr. Novak. Returning a book, I see?”

Dean was still distant and polite, but it was the closes they had come to an actual conversation in quite some time, and Castiel found himself eagerly responding. “As a matter of fact, yes.”

“Oh?” Dean seemed surprised that he had answered instead of simply nodded, as he usually did. “And which book is it?”

He blushed when he recalled that he was holding a romance novel in his hands. Not that there was anything wrong with the genre, but for someone like Dean...

The housekeeper stepped up to him and looked at the title. “Wouldn’t have picked you for a romance guy.”

“It is very well written” he said. Dean chuckled.

“Guess it is.”

You know it?”

“Sure, I must have read it a hundred times already.”

Castiel looked into his eyes and swallowed. Dean was moving closer and he found himself leaning in –

A crash rang out in the back of the house and they flinched apart.

“Must be the new maid” Dean said, shrugging.

“Right” he agreed without being aware what exactly he was agreeing to, shoving the book in Dean’s hands. “I’ll just – if you could – I’ll check –“

And he hurried out of the library, his heart beating wildly.

In the following weeks, he avoided Dean as much as he could. At first, he tried to seek Castiel out; but then, one day, as he was looking over the silver, the housekeeper stepped up to him. He looked worse than he’d ever see him; his eyes were so lifeless –

“I get it. I’m sorry.”

That was all Dean told him before he turned around and left. Just a few hours later, Castiel entered his pantry, determined to bury himself in a book and forget the strange events of the day, only to find Dean’s resignation letter on his desk.

Dean’s resignation letter.

Dean was leaving.

Castiel would never see him again.

For the first time, he wasn’t driven by worries about his staff plan or the running of the house; instead, what hurried him towards Dean’s door was blind panic, making him grasp fro straws like a drowning man.

He didn’t even knock; he just entered the room in the same way Dean always entered his pantry.

“Mr. Winchester...”

“Relax, Mr. Novak.” Dean sounded so lost, so sad, and he wanted to scream because he hadn’t called him Cas. “It’s just my notice – you still have a month to find a replacement.”

“Dean –“ he croaked.

The housekeeper stared at him, and he dared hope for a moment –

Dean shook his head. “No. You should leave.”

“But Dean – “

“It’s more than – this. I know I’m a good housekeeper, but I just can’t live like this, alright? This living for someone else, something else – just waste my life away in the service of others. I want to experience more.”

“So there is nothing I can do to make you stay?” he asked, helplessly.

“You know there is” Dean said, suddenly calm and in control, studying his face.

_I could go with him._

The thought surprised him. His father had been butler at Kripke Hall before him; he couldn’t –

Dean held out a hand. “We could create a new life – together. You don’t have to spend yours trapped here. Marry me, Cas. Let’s see where this goes.”

He took a deep breath and made a decision. And, instead of taking Dean’s hand, he kissed him.


End file.
